The 12th Lau Teng Chuan Physical Education and Sports Science Symposium

The 12th Lau Teng Chuan Physical Education and Sports Science Symposium, hosted by the Physical Education and Sports Science (PESS) Academic Group, is scheduled to take place on Friday, 3 November 2023, from 9:00 am to 3:30 pm. The venue for this event will be Lecture Theatre 1 at the National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. This year's symposium revolves around the theme of "Interdisciplinary Approaches to Sports Science and Management."

We are honoured to announce the presence of Mr Alan Goh, Chief Executive Officer of Sport Singapore, as the Guest of Honour and invited speaker for the event. Additionally, our distinguished keynote speaker will be Professor Andrea Maier, Oon Chiew Seng Professor in Medicine, Healthy Ageing and Dementia Research. Professor Maier serves as the Co-Director at the Centre for Healthy Longevity, National University Health System, National University of Singapore. She is also a Professor of Gerontology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

During the symposium, Associate Professor Koh Koon Teck, Head of PESS, will deliver a welcome address. Mr Lau Cheng Soon, the son of the late Dr Lau Teng Chuan, will also share his insights and thoughts on this occasion.

Additionally, the event will include research project presentations conducted by final year students from the Physical Education and Sports Science (PESS) and Sport Science and Management (SSM) programmes. These presentations will be complemented by the participation of international undergraduate students from Deakin University, Korea National Sport University, and Jio Institute.

In conjunction with the 12th Lau Teng Chuan Physical Education and Sports Science Symposium, the SSM Career Fair 2023 is scheduled to take place from 11:45 am to 3:30 pm. 

All are welcome! 

Registration closes on Wednesday, 1 November 2023, 11:59 pm.


Programme

9:00 am - 9:15 am  - Arrival of Guests

9:15 am - Guests to be Seated 

9:30 am - 9:35 am - Opening Address by Associate Professor Koh Koon Teck

9:35 am - 9:50 am - Address by Mr Lau Cheng Soon

9:50 am - 10:55 am - Talks by Invited Speakers, Mr Alan Goh and Professor Andrea Maier

11:00 am - 11:15 am - Presentation of Tokens of Appreciation & Photo-Taking

11:15 am - 11:45 am - Tea Break

11:45 am - 1:15 pm - Student Research Project Presentations / 11:45 am -3:30 pm - SSM Career Fair 2023

1:15 pm - 2:15 pm - Lunch Reception

3:30 pm - End of Programme


Dr Lau Teng Chuan BPE, MSc (1929-2012) 

The Father of Physical Education in Singapore

Introduction

Dr Lau Teng Chuan was a distinguished Singaporean sportsman, coach, teacher, and sports administrator, often hailed as the 'father of physical education' in Singapore. Born on April 13, 1929, he left an indelible mark on the world of sports in the island nation and was instrumental in shaping its sporting landscape.

Education

Dr Lau's journey into the world of sports and physical education began at Victoria School in Singapore, where he demonstrated remarkable prowess in various sports disciplines. His formal education continued at Loughborough College in the United Kingdom, where he pursued physical education, eventually graduating with DLC 1st Class Honours in 1956. Later, in 1973, he earned a Master of Science degree from the University of Oregon in the United States.

Career

Dr Lau's illustrious career spanned various facets of sports and education. He represented Singapore as a national badminton player from 1956 to 1958 while simultaneously serving as a lecturer and later as the Chief of Physical Education at the Institute of Education until 1975.

His contributions extended beyond the badminton court as he assumed the role of Singapore's chief badminton coach from 1963 to 1965 and later served as the honorary visiting coach of the New Zealand national badminton team.

From 1975 to 1992, Dr Lau served as the Executive Director of the Singapore Sports Council. During his tenure, he played a pivotal role in shaping and implementing Singapore's strategy for physical education and sports. He spearheaded initiatives to enhance coaching education and development in the country and introduced the National Physical Fitness Award/Assessment (NAPFA) test for students. This test later evolved into the Individual Physical Proficiency Test (IPPT) used by the Singapore Armed Forces.

In 1995, Dr Lau was appointed to the Singapore National Olympic Council, where he took over as Secretary-General in 1996. His leadership and dedication to sports administration were evident as he actively promoted physical education in schools and advocated for sports facilities in the community. He also championed mass sports participation events, leaving an indelible legacy in Singapore's sporting culture.

Additionally, Dr Lau served as a Vice-President of the Singapore Amateur Athletics Association and held the position of Honorary Secretary of the Football Association of Singapore from 1982 for over a decade.

Autobiography and Philanthropy

Dr Lau's passion for sports and desire to share his experiences led him to write an autobiography titled "Lau Teng Chuan: Sportsman, Teacher, Sports Administrator" in 2012. Over 400 copies of this book were distributed to the sporting community in Singapore, with the proceeds going to the Lau Teng Chuan Scholarship Fund, benefiting physical education teachers.

Awards and Recognitions

Dr Lau Teng Chuan's remarkable contributions to sports and education earned him numerous accolades. He received the National Day Public Service Administration awards in 1969 (bronze) for education and 1981 (silver) for sports. In 1997, he was honored with the International Badminton Federation's Distinguished Service Award. In recognition of his significant contributions, Loughborough University conferred upon him an Honorary Doctorate (Honoris Causa) in 2003.

Personal Life and Legacy

Beyond his professional accomplishments, Dr Lau had a close-knit family, being married to Mary and fathering two sons and a daughter. His family expanded to include seven grandchildren.

On May 8, 2012, Dr Lau Teng Chuan passed away at the age of 83 due to stomach cancer, leaving behind a profound legacy. His dedication, passion, and relentless pursuit of excellence in the field of sports and education continue to inspire generations of athletes and educators in Singapore.

Source: Wikipedia

 

Mr Alan Goh

Mr Alan Goh is currently the Chief Executive Officer of Sport Singapore (SportSG). Prior to joining SportSG, he served as Deputy Secretary (Development and Regulation) in the Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI) from 2019 to 2023, and served in the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) and the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) for 26 years, rising to the rank of Rear Admiral. His previous appointments include Group Chief of Policy and Strategy in MINDEF’s Policy Office, Commander of the RSN’s Maritime Security Task Force, Head of Naval Plans, Head of Naval Personnel, and Commanding Officer of the RSN’s Missile Corvette Squadron. He was a competitive sailor in his school days, and served as Commodore of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) Yacht Club from 2017 to 2019 and Vice President (High Performance) of the Singapore Sailing Federation from 2018 to 2019.

Mr Goh holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Mathematics from Cambridge University and a Master of Business Administration (Sloan Fellow) from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he was also a Fulbright Scholar. He is also a graduate of the United States Naval War College.

Mr Goh also previously served on the Board of Directors of Singapore Technologies Engineering Ltd and Unicorn International Pte Ltd, as well as on the Board of Governors of Temasek Polytechnic. For his contributions over the years, Mr Goh was awarded the Public Administration Medal (Silver)(Military) in 2019 and the Civil Service Long Service Award (30 years) in 2023.

Professor Andrea B. Maier, MD PhD FRACP

Oon Chiew Seng Professor in Medicine, Healthy Ageing and Dementia Research, Co-Director at Centre for Healthy Longevity, National University Health System, National University of Singapore

Professor of Gerontology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Professsor Andrea B. Maier (1978), a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (FRACP), graduated in Medicine (MD) 2003 from the University of Lübeck (Germany), was registered 2009 in The Netherlands as Specialist in Internal Medicine-Geriatrics and was appointed Full Professor of Gerontology at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (The Netherlands) in 2013. She was the head of Geriatrics at the Vrije Universiteit Medical Center from 2012 to 2016. From 2016 to early 2021 Professor Maier served as Divisional Director of Medicine and Community Care at the Royal Melbourne Hospital, Australia, and as Professor of Medicine and Aged Care at the University of Melbourne, Australia. She continued her career at the National University of Singapore as Director of the Centre for Healthy Longevity. Professor Maier’s research focuses on unraveling the mechanisms of ageing and age-related diseases. She is heading international longitudinal cohort studies and geroscience interventions. During the last 12 years she has published more than 370 peer-reviewed articles, achieving an H index of 68, spearheading the significant contributions of her highly acclaimed innovative, global, multidisciplinary @Age research group. She is a frequent guest on radio and television programs and book author to disseminate aging research. Furthermore, she is invited member and advisor of several international academic and health policy committees, including the World Health Organization evaluating the United Nations Decade of Healthy Ageing. In 2022, she co-founded of the first evidence based Healthy Longevity Medicine Clinic in Singapore – Chi Longevity and joined NU as Chief Medical Officer. She is the past President of The Australian and New Zealand Society for Sarcopenia and Frailty Research, the Founding President of the Healthy Longevity Medicine Society and serves as selected Member of The Royal Holland Society of Sciences and Humanities.

Theme: Interdisciplinary Approaches to Sports Science and Management

 

Title: The Booming Field of Healthy Longevity

Speaker: Professor Andrea Maier

Synopsis: 

 

Title: Unlocking the Potential of Sport Science to Elevate Singapore, Amid an Ageing Population

Speaker: Mr Alan Goh

Synopsis:  Sport has always played a significant role in Singapore. It contributes to building a more active and healthier population, fostering social cohesion and instilling national pride in our citizens.

Sport Singapore uses sport as a strategy to serve our nation’s interests. One strategy we have adopted is the harnessing of sport science for the benefit of both high performance athletes and the citizens in our community. Our Singapore Sports Institute helps Team Singapore athletes optimise their performance through the direct application of leading-edge science, performance testing and monitoring, applied research and education. Through initiatives such as Active Health, Sport Singapore extends this sport science expertise to our community. Active Health aims to empower individuals to lead healthier and more active lives through tailored exercise programmes, nutrition guidance, and injury prevention strategies. It also leverages sport science to enhance the health, well-being and overall quality of life for seniors, and this will become increasingly important given Singapore’s ageing population.

 This session will discuss how Sport Singapore’s efforts in sport science can have a far-reaching impact in terms of benefitting both our elite athletes as well as the people in our community. 

Please click here to register for the event. 

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Registration closes on Wednesday, 1 November 2023.

We wish to bring to your attention that photography (which includes virtual snapshots and screen captures) and video recording may be conducted during the event for use in our publicity materials such as our website and social media. By attending this event, we deem that we have your consent to use your photo(s) and/or video recording(s) for publicity. Please notify us via email at [email protected] by 1 November 2023 if you wish to withdraw the consent.

The SSM Career Fair 2023 will be held in conjunction with the 12th Lau Teng Chuan Physical Education and Sports Science Symposium from 11:45 am to 3:30 pm.

The participating organisations as follows:

  • AMP Lab
  • Barça Academy Singapore
  • BBOUNCE Studio
  • Creative Artists Agency (CAA) Sports Pte Ltd
  • Decathlon Singapore
  • Deloitte & Touche LLP
  • FITLUC Pte Ltd
  • Global Sports Innovation Center (GSIC)
  • Infront Sports & Media AG
  • Kinexcs Pte Ltd
  • Odyssey The Global Preschool
  • People's Association
  • Sport Singapore
  • UFIT Health Fitness & Sports